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04/13/2022 12:00 AMLorelei King vividly remembers the first time that she picked up a lacrosse stick—and it isn’t one of her fondest memories. However, Lorelei stuck with the sport and has gone on to become a top player and a senior captain for the girls’ lacrosse team at Guilford High School.
Lorelei’s first experience with lacrosse came when she was living in North Haven as a 4th-grader. The town was offering the sport, and Lorelei and several of her friends decided to give it a shot. Lorelei’s first practice didn’t exactly go as planned and she actually contemplated quitting, but ultimately decided to stay the course, and that proved an excellent decision.
“I’ve been playing lacrosse since 4th grade, which was the first year it was offered in my town at the time,” says Lorelei. “I got into it mainly because of many of my friends who were doing it at the time, and I still remember my first practice being in the miserable, pouring rain with a very uncomfortable mouth guard that made me want to quit right away.”
Lorelei moved to Guilford from North Haven prior to her junior year and has been a solid lacrosse player with the Grizzlies ever since. Head Coach Wendy Epke put Lorelei into the starting lineup as a midfielder last year, and Lorelei helped lead Guilford to its second-straight state title and its first state championship in program history.
“Lorelei stepped out onto the field and earned a starting spot on our SCC and state championship team. She’s an excellent endurance runner with solid stick skills,” Coach Epke says. “I know it would be hard for someone new to come onto such an established program like Guilford, but she was able to make herself an integral part of the team as one of our middies.”
One of Lorelei’s favorite aspects of lacrosse is how it’s such a team-oriented sport. Lorelei likes being able to lean on her teammates if she’s having a down game and also enjoys supporting her fellow Grizzlies when they’re struggling.
“My favorite aspect of the sport probably has to be how crucial everyone is to the team’s success,” says Lorelei. “My other sports are individual, and so having a team that not only is there as a support system, but is also on the field with me competing for a common goal and only achieving that goal if we all are in sync makes me love the game that much more.”
Guilford finished the 2021 season with an overall record of 19-2 on its way to defending its SCC crown and then claiming the Class M state title. Lorelei, who earned All-SCC Division I Second Team honors for the Grizzlies, says it was a season that she will never forget.
“My favorite moment as a player would have to be winning the state championship last year. We worked so hard throughout the season and in that state final game, and I remember I was holding the ball when the buzzer sounded, signifying that we had won,” Lorelei says. “It was such a euphoric moment for the whole team, and everyone was just so proud of all that we had been able to accomplish.”
Lorelei credits Coach Epke for helping her integrate into Guilford’s system without any issues. Lorelei knows that the Grizzlies’ program would not be where it is today without Epke’s guidance.
“Coach Epke is a very supportive and kind coach, while at the same time instilling in us the idea that she has very high expectations for our level of play,” says Lorelei. “She is focused on making a friendly and fun atmosphere, but she also pushes us when necessary, so that we can fulfill our potential, even when that means making us do conditioning sprints.”
In addition to lacrosse, Lorelei also competes for the girls’ cross country and indoor track teams at Guilford. Lorelei made the All-Conference Team for the second-straight season while helping the cross country squad win SCCs and states last fall. In track, she participates in the high jump and mid-distance events with the Grizzlies. During the summer, Lorelei plays club lacrosse.
“My cross country team won states this year, as well as made it to the New England competition, which was an amazing experience, and I’m really proud of the whole team for accomplishing that goal,” Lorelei says. “I take part in athletics year-round, running through my other two seasons and then playing club lacrosse in the summer. A big part of lacrosse is the athleticism component, and I’m able to maintain this year-round, which I think really contributes to my position, especially as a midfielder, whose job it is to be running back and forth much of the time.”
Lorelei is a proud member of the International Baccalaureate program at Guilford High School. Even though she had to move from North Haven in the midst of her high school endeavors, Lorelei feels right at home in Guilford and has made plenty of friends in the process.
“I moved to Guilford from North Haven in the summer between sophomore and junior year in the middle of the COVID pandemic,” says Lorelei. “It was definitely an adjustment, and I had to re-establish myself on new sports teams with new coaches, but everyone was very welcoming, and I was able to do so relatively painlessly.”
The Guilford girls’ lacrosse team is off to a 2-1 start to the 2022 season. After enjoying a historic campaign last year, Lorelei’s expectations are for the Grizzlies to play quality lacrosse and bring home another state title this spring.
“Sometimes there are factors outside of your control, but we have a very talented group, and I hope we can become more and more cohesive as the season goes on,” Lorelei says. “We started with a tough game against Wilton, but then bounced back with a win against our rival Hand, and I’m thinking we’re going to have a positive trajectory from there.”